The effect of timber cutting in a lodgepole pine forest on the storage and melting of snow

TitleThe effect of timber cutting in a lodgepole pine forest on the storage and melting of snow
Publication TypeConference Proceedings
Year of Conference1944
AuthorsWilm, H. G.
Conference Name12th Annual Western Interstate Snow Survey Conference
Series TitleProceedings of the 12th Annual Western Interstate Snow Survey Conference
Date PublishedFebruary 1944
PublisherAmerican Geophysical Union, Transactions, Part I:
Conference LocationBerkeley, California
KeywordsForest management optimum water yield, Forest management timber cutting, Snowmelt
Abstract

Experiments conducted in mature forest of lodgepole pine at Rocky Mountain Forest & Range Experiment Station in Colorado, show that planned cutting will increase the snow cover during the accumulation period. A total of 17.5 inches of water passed through the forest canopy on heavily cut-over plots, as compared with 13.33 inches in the un-cut forest. The accelerated melting rates of the cut-over plots were compensated by the excess snow stored initially. All experimental plots became bare at approximately the same time. Cutting is not advised in areas where floods and erosion are problems. (See also SIP U1839)